Jedi wannabe creates mind-controlled video game

CaptionThe product: Apple III PC

Steven Stengel / oldcomputers.net

1980: After reports of malfunctioning equipment showed that some Apple III chips were improperly installed, Apple urged owners to drop the machines onto a flat surface from a height of several inches to ensure its integrated circuits got seated squarely in their sockets. After a few years, the...

1980: After reports of malfunctioning equipment showed that some Apple III chips were improperly installed, Apple urged owners to drop the machines onto a flat surface from a height of several inches to ensure its integrated circuits got seated squarely in their sockets. After a few years, the... (Steven Stengel / oldcomputers.net)

1983: This computer, touted by Apple as the "Maserati for Your Mind," was the first retail computer to include a mouse. Nonetheless, it bombed, perhaps because of the $10,000 price.

1983: This computer, touted by Apple as the "Maserati for Your Mind," was the first retail computer to include a mouse. Nonetheless, it bombed, perhaps because of the $10,000 price. (Steven Stengel / oldcomputers.net)

1993: Apple's first stab at tablet computing arrived -- and flopped -- a decade before its time. The Newton became a laughingstock when, at $1,000 a pop, the hand-held device couldn't read handwriting -- its most hyped feature.

1993: Apple's first stab at tablet computing arrived -- and flopped -- a decade before its time. The Newton became a laughingstock when, at $1,000 a pop, the hand-held device couldn't read handwriting -- its most hyped feature. (Associated Press)

1996: This long-forgotten game console was too slow and too expensive ($600) for consumers, and had too few games available for it. In 2006, PC World judged it one of the "25 Worst Tech Products of All Time."

1996: This long-forgotten game console was too slow and too expensive ($600) for consumers, and had too few games available for it. In 2006, PC World judged it one of the "25 Worst Tech Products of All Time." (Associated Press)

2000: This visually stunning 8-inch machine, packaged in a translucent white case, looked more like a sculpture than a personal computer, but suffered from a rash of problems. The machine turned itself on and off when touched at the top, which often happened by accident. Connecting cables...

2000: This visually stunning 8-inch machine, packaged in a translucent white case, looked more like a sculpture than a personal computer, but suffered from a rash of problems. The machine turned itself on and off when touched at the top, which often happened by accident. Connecting cables... (Apple.com)

But Ware assures us that "Throw Trucks With Your Mind!," the game he is trying to fund on Kickstarter, is no hoax.

Ware let VentureBeat test the game, and after the demo, the tech website's reporter proclaimed he was a Jedi Master. There is also video of a very early version of the game in action with clips of people playing and their reactions.

The game is much like a first-person shooter with users controlling movements with their computer keyboard and mouse, Ware said. But when it comes time to throw objects, players use a NeuroSky headset that measures users' brainwaves. The more focused players get, the better control they'll have over the objects they're trying to move.

"It's a learnable skill, people get better at it," he said, adding that after two hours of playing, most players are able to throw as many as three objects at the same time.

Ware said he was introduced to neuro feedback therapy technology as a child when he took the therapy for his attention-deficit disorder. He followed the technology, and when NeuroSky announced consumer versions of their headsets, Ware decided to combine the technology with his background in game development and love for "Star Wars."

[For the record, 2:12 p.m. March 5: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Ware was introduced to NeuroSky as a child.]

"I wanted to make the ultimate Jedi game," he said.

The game is entertaining, but Ware said it also has therapeutic benefits for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression.

"This is actual neuro feedback therapy, it's just wrapped up into awesome competitive multiplayer," he said. "The therapy only works if people want to do it, and people want to crush people with their minds."

To get the game and a NeuroSky headset, users must pledge at least $125. If funded, Ware is promising the game, which will work with Windows and Mac OS X, will come out one year from now at the latest or as early as six months from now if everything goes perfectly.

But with less than two weeks to go before the funding period expires, Ware's project has only raised about $21,000, far short of the funding goal of $40,000.

Ware admits he's feeling the pressure, but he plans to add more Kickstarter rewards besides giving away the game and the headset and keep campaigning to get more funds.

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